


Hero, Happy World...?

by Soran_Chan



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Play Fighting, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21670474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soran_Chan/pseuds/Soran_Chan
Summary: When the hero show that Kasumi and Hagumi had been looking forward to is canceled, Arisa (accidentally) suggests that the two put on their own hero show. In typical Tsurumaki fashion, things quickly get out of hand as Poppin'Party's very families are kidnapped for the sake of this show, and they must resolve themselves to take on the dastardly HaroHapi crew. Along the way, they'll learn something they'd never otherwise have put into words: what it means to be a hero, and who qualifies.
Kudos: 22





	1. Lost Treasures

"Aaaaaaariiiiiisaaaaaa...!!"

"Aa-chaaaaaan...!"

Two pairs of sprinting footfalls accompanied the two raucous cries out in the hallways just moments after the final bell rang. They burst through the classroom door and practically slammed into Arisa's desk.

Without looking up from the textbooks she was replacing into her book bag, Arisa answered flatly, "What is it."

They both collapsed onto her desk with dramatic sobs, only barely giving Arisa time to swoop up her bag out of the way of Kasumi's head. Kitazawa- _san_ clutched at the edge of the desk such that it shook and wobbled with every one of her sad outbursts, while Kasumi's purple eyes glistened pitifully like a puppy's as she turned her gaze up towards Arisa. Arisa very deliberately leaned further back in her chair, turning ten centimeters to twenty, and held up her book bag defensively in between them.

"It's terrible--"

"Awful, awful!"

"--just so terrible, Arisa..."

"Like I said, what is it?"

Arisa snuck a glance around the classroom. Most of her classmates had already disappeared, off to clubs or cram school or outings with friends, but a couple stragglers gave her "Ahh...poor girl" looks that made her want to climb out the second-story window just to escape them.

Before she could hide her face behind her bag, though, movement caught her attention. Three figures stepped into the doorway. One wore an amused, gentle smile, another an almost nervous, apologetic expression, and the last was turned around and staring out the hallway window as if a complete stranger to the other two girls beside her. The foremost, Saaya, walked in first, followed by Rimi--who then paused and went back to guide O-Tae in after her...though O-Tae never once tore her gaze away from that window.

Saaya placed a hand on each Kasumi and Kitazawa- _san_ 's shoulders. "There, there," she said in her usual comforting tone. She looked up at Arisa and gave an innocuous tilt of the head as she explained: "The hero show they were all excited for this weekend got canceled. Seems the main star, Radiant Ranger, got hurt saving a cat from oncoming traffic."

Arisa felt her jaw slacken. "For real?"

"Ahaha~ I was surprised, too. It made the news this morning. He made it out with just a couple sprains, but he can't perform in the show, sadly."

Arisa glanced down at Kasumi and Kitazawa- _san_. They were now _both_ clutching at the edge of her desk like small children, looking up at her with welled-up puppy dog eyes. Arisa recoiled a bit.

"Even if you look at me that way, what do you want me to do about it?"

"But...but..." Kasumi scrunched up her nose, as if she were about to sneeze. Tears welled up in her eyes. "But Arisa..."

And then, as if "Arisa" were the only word she knew, she began wailing again. Kitazawa- _san_ followed suit soon after.

Rimi stepped closer and joined Saaya in their fruitless consolations. "K-Kasumi-chan... Don't cry... I'm sure it'll be fine..."

"R-Rimirin...urgh...hnk...!"

Kasumi turned around and buried her face in Rimi's chest, and before Arisa knew it, Kitazawa- _san_ was likewise in Saaya's arms. Arisa sighed, closed the clasp of her book bag, and stood up.

"All right, see you all on Monday."

She stepped past the crowd of tangled bodies and made her way to the door. She pointedly ignored the "Ah--Aaariiisaaa~!"s and "Aa-chaaaan!"s and only walked faster. Before she could make it past the doorway, though, O-Tae's voiced reached her.

"Arisa." A pause. Arisa looked back to see O-Tae still facing the same window, her arm and finger outstretched towards it. "That's Kokoro, isn't it?"

Arisa turned to where O-Tae was pointing, then nearly choked. Sure enough, Tsurumaki- _san_ was in splendid view, standing atop the thick branches of one of the trees in the courtyard some dozen meters off the ground and surveying the lands like a scout of yore. Those sparkling, golden eyes turned in Arisa's direction, and she was too slow to duck her head--Tsurumaki- _san_ raised both arms and waved as a child might at their favorite character in a mascot parade.

"Ara."

Not that Arisa could hear this, of course, but Tsurumaki- _san_ 's lips moved to form those sounds as suddenly her balance gave way. She seemed suspended in midair for a moment, as if not even realizing she had just slipped off the branch, and then gravity swooped down on her.

She toppled.

"Tsu-Tsurumaki- _san_!"

Arisa rushed towards the hallway windows, pressing so close her nose touched the glass and her breath fogged her vision. She scanned the branches of the tree frantically--only to discover a pair of legs crossed around the branch Tsurumaki- _san_ had been standing on previously. Seconds later, the blonde girl flipped herself back onto the branch, stood back up again, and beamed at Arisa, waving once again.

Arisa crumpled to the ground and sighed. This was bad for her heart.

"A-Arisa-chan!"

Rimi stumbled over to Arisa's side--stumbled, because though she rushed over, she was still carrying the full weight of an extra body wrapped around her torso. She knelt down, and Kasumi with her.

"A-are you okay, Arisa-chan? Did you get hurt somewhere?"

Kasumi slowly retracted her arms from around Rimi and began crawling into Arisa's lap instead. Arisa dropped her book bag on top of Kasumi's head, and the encroaching intruder's limbs halted as though frozen mid-movement.

"I really don't think I'm the one you should be asking that..." Arisa pinched the bridge of her nose. The rest of her friends began congregating around them in the hallway as well. "That girl's specs are all over the place..."

She took the hand Saaya offered her (Kasumi's hands slipped off her lap and smacked lightly into the floor as she did so) and stood back up, dusting herself off. Seeing that O-Tae was still watching the window intently, Arisa followed her gaze. Outside, Tsurumaki- _san_ began her descent, dropping from branch to branch without fear or care.

O-Tae seemed almost to smile faintly. "Somehow, isn't she kind of hero-y? Kokoro, I mean."

"Kokoron is super hero-y!" Kitazawa- _san_ chimed in. Her tears seemed to evaporate in the face of her glowing admiration for her friend. "There's nothing she can't do! And she always makes everyone smile!"

Saaya nodded thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, Kokoro is amazingly athletic, too. Didn't she set a couple new records at the last sports festival?"

"Seriously..?"

"The 100-meter sprint, the hurdles, the cartwheels..." Saaya counted events off her fingers, then smiled at Kitazawa- _san_. "I think you both also technically broke a record for the sack race, but you two just did that for fun after seeing the upperclassmen doing it, right?"

"Ehehe~ Aya-senpai made it seem so fun with all her shouting!"

"No no, I'm pretty sure that was her crying and screaming..."

At some point, Kasumi had picked herself up off the ground, for Arisa found her standing beside her. She puffed her chest out proudly with her hands on her hips. "Eh hem! Kokoron's definitely a great hero! She always gets her friends in the black suits to feed me when I forget my lunch!"

"I was wondering why you'd been forgetting your lunch more often lately..."

"I-it's just a coincidence, I promise!"

"Heeeeh..." Arisa squinted at her, then sighed. "You know, if you two are so into these hero shows, why not just throw one yourself? I'm sure Tsurumaki- _san_ and Kaoru- _san_ would be more than...happy...to--"

"That's it!!" Kasumi and Kitazawa- _san_ shouted in unison. Arisa bit her tongue, but she was too late--the two had already dashed off towards the stairwell, undoubtedly to catch Tsurumaki- _san_ in the courtyard.

Crap. She'd really done it this time.

"Ahhh~" Saaya made a sympathetic noise, but Arisa could tell she was hiding a smile. "Seems like we might have a busy weekend coming up, thanks to Arisa."

"That's not--!"

O-Tae blinked. "So we're seeing a hero show after all?"

"Eh? O-Tae-chan, you were going to go, too?"

"Eh? Wasn't everyone going to go?"

The four girls looked at each other. Before anyone could say anything, Kasumi and Kitazawa- _san_ 's loud shouts reached them even from through the window: a twin-pronged "KOKORON~!"

Arisa groaned and rubbed her forehead with a hand. She was already getting a preemptive headache from what was to come.

φ☆φ☆φ

hey, saaya. you're up, right?

you get one too?

Yeah...

Hey, Arisa.

yeah?

Is your grandmother home?

Arisa's thumbs halted over the message textbox. She had seated herself at the small dining table, a large sheet of unfurled parchment sitting atop a previously wax-sealed envelope in front of her. The usual sizzle of breakfast, the usual waft of frying eggs and the steam of freshly cooked rice, the usual gentle calls of her grandmother to come to breakfast...all those were missing that morning.

Admittedly, it was early. It wasn't even six o' clock yet, and on a Saturday to boot. Those sounds would have been missing anyway.

Still... She bit her lip.

doesn't seem like it. her room was empty.

Nobody's home here either.

When I went up front, nothing was set up. None of the bread we prepared has been baked.

Jun and Sana also aren't home.

your parents didn't say anything?

Nothing.

Arisa scowled down at the letter. Though she had read it twice over already, she read it one more time in the hopes of disbelieving this delusional reality. The words were in bold, calligraphic ink, not neat enough to be professional, but not so illegible that it could be either Tsurumaki- _san_ or Kitazawa- _san_.

_We have taken that which you value most. You must come face us to reclaim your lost treasures. We will be waiting at the coliseum where the bears roam free; come face us when the clock strikes noon._

this is going too far for just a prank.

The typing notification popped up, then disappeared. A half minute later, it popped up again.

I found my letter in front of my room. Did you?

yeah. I'm sure everyone's safe, but...

I admit, this is definitely more than I expected... This really has turned into something big.

I'm going to call kasumi. do you mind calling rimi and o-tae?

Sure. Do we want to meet at your place?

that works.

She took a deep, sharp breath. On that early summer morning, the air felt awfully cold in her lungs going in. Quickly dialing the memorized digits, she held her phone up to her ear and waited.

And waited.

...And waited.

It took until the third call that Kasumi picked up.

"Awisha...?" A long, loud yawn. "Wuz wong?"

"Oi, you donut, get up and check outside your door for a letter."

"A wetta...? Did you white me one...?

"This is not the time for this, Kasumi!"

There was the soft sound of sheets against sheets, then the groan of rusted springs and the creak of an old frame. A deep breath followed, then: "...A letter, right? Let me check."

Muffled footfalls. The turn of a handle, the whine of hinges. A rustle of paper.

"Found one... Should I open it?"

"Yeah."

More rustling. "Um... ' _We have taken that which you value most_...'"

She read aloud the letter, quietly and sleepily at first, but more steadily as she continued. She fell silent after finishing--a nervous, trembling silence that threatened to break at any second.

Arisa chose to break it first. "Kasumi... Grandma--my grandmother and Saaya's family are all missing. Don't panic or anything, okay? But it's likely that, for this game, Tsurumaki- _san_ 's already gone ahead and taken Asuka and--K-Kasumi?"

There were thunderous footfalls on the other end. There was the deep thud of wooden edges slamming into plaster walls as doors were thrown open, the desperate shuffle of sheets being torn from beds, the gasp for air--

"Kasumi, hold on--"

"Acchan...Acchan and Mom are both gone--"

"I know, Kasumi, so just hold on, okay? This is just a game. It's just a game."

"A...game..."

The frantic breathing began to slow. Arisa waited until she could no longer hear Kasumi's breaths, then said, "Saaya and I both found letters as well, and both our families are gone, too. This is almost definitely just some prank or game being played by Tsurumaki- _san_ and the rest of HaroHapi."

"Are...are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. Do you still have the letter?" Hearing her approval, Arisa continued, "'The coliseum where the bears roam free' is the hint here. You can probably guess where that is, right?"

"Where the bears roam free... Wait--Michelle Land?"

"Right. You should probably get dressed and ready. We're meeting up at my place, first. Then we're gonna head on over together. Does that sound okay to you?"

"Okay..."

It was an awfully dejected response. Arisa frowned a little. "Hey, Kasumi."

"Y-yeah...?"

"What's Radiant Ranger's catchphrase?"

"E-eh? Um... 'I'll break through the shadows your evil has cast with this, my radiant fist'?"

"What the heck, that's kind of cool... Er, I mean, yeah." Arisa cleared her throat. "Why not try saying that to yourself, but like how Radiant Ranger would?"

"...Okay. I'll try that." Some floorboards creaked, presumably as Kasumi took a stance. Arisa listened carefully to the other end. With a deep breath, Kasumi declared loudly: "I'll break through the shadows your evil has cast with this--my radiant fist!"

Both girls were quiet. Soon enough, Kasumi began giggling to herself, and Arisa smiled a little as well.

"It's a little embarrassing, doing this by myself," Kasumi said.

Arisa relaxed. Kasumi's voice had regained some of its former brightness, washing away some of Arisa's own restless anxiety. "Well, you better get in the mood for it now. I'm sure today's gonna be a hell of a trip, so we're gonna need you in tiptop shape, Hero. We'll be waiting for you, so hurry on over."

"On it. Radiant Ranger, at your service! ...I'll be there soon!"

Arisa pulled her phone away to hang up. With her thumb over the button, though, she thought she heard something and so raised the phone back up to her ear. All she heard was the blip of the call ending.

She dropped back flat onto the tatami mats and stared up at the shadows coloring her dimly lit ceiling, letting her phone fall beside her. Every sound seemed to echo in that numbing silence: the slightest hum of the refrigerator, the tick of the analog clock hanging from the wall, the dull thump of her heart, and the slow steady breaths she took...

It was just a game, she told herself. Everything would be back to normal soon. If anything, this might even be...well, fun.

But anxiety nipped at her chest, catching her ribs in prickling ivy, gnawing at her stomach. Knowing that things would be fine tomorrow didn't make this moment any less lonely, any less terrifying, without her grandmother here right now.

She closed her eyes and tried to level her breathing. It would be a little while before the rest of Poppin'Party arrived. Until then...until then...

She wiped the sudden tears and swallowed down her nerves. Until then, she'd make herself presentable and forget the momentary panic she, too, had experienced that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally just a joke scenario that a friend and I came up with one day. We talked about how fun a mock battle between Poppin'Party and HaroHapi would be (e.g. HaroHapi Rangers/HaroHapi Pirates vs Poppin'Pirates, etc.), and it eventually derailed to Kasumi and Hagumi playing hero games growing up, like reenacting Power Rangers. I'm writing this now because I'm traveling and don't have any of my usual hardware to work with, so I can't do more pressing things like draw or sub very easily, XD;; Might as well enjoy myself with something silly.
> 
> The tone of the story is all over the place, and the pacing will probably be a mess, but as long as we all have fun, that's all I care about~


	2. My Guiding Light

Just shy of eight o’ clock, all of Poppin’Party had assembled in Arisa’s basement. Unlike usual, there wasn’t a guitar to be seen--just five solemn girls gathered around the table. A bag marked with the sticker label of Yamabuki Bakery sat forgotten, and five cups full of tea circled it, now cooled. Silence pervaded that normally bustling space.

Arisa, biting her thumb absentmindedly, looked around. Rimi was staring at her hands folded in her lap, shadows under her eyes. O-Tae had her eyes closed, and if not for how stiffly she was sitting up, Arisa would have guessed she had fallen asleep. Saaya met her gaze and gave a small, forced smile, which Arisa returned equally as forced.

She turned to Kasumi. Their leader was hugging the huge chocolate cornet plushie they had bought for Rimi, resting her chin atop it. She stared at the ground with a rare brooding expression, her brow furrowed and her lips curved down, and didn’t seem to notice Arisa’s gaze until Saaya cleared her throat.

She looked up, and though her eyes softened upon meeting Arisa’s, a quiet steel yet colored the deep amethyst.

“I’m sure everyone is okay,” Saaya said slowly. She repeated herself, as if to convince herself: “I’m sure everyone is okay… We should focus on the game.”

Rimi nodded silently. Kasumi lifted her head and took a deep breath.

Her voice was steady. “You’re right, Saaya. There’s no need for us to worry! All we gotta do is go win the game Kokoro- _chan_ made for us. Arisa, can you get the letter for us?”

Arisa blinked, then smiled to herself. Kasumi had always been quick to change gears, for better or for worse. It did Arisa’s heart some good to hear such bold words from her.

She moved the cups and bakery bag out of the way to unfurl the letter onto the table. Everyone leaned in to take a better look, including O-Tae, who finally opened her eyes. Her expression was unreadable.

Arisa recited the letter aloud. Once she was done, she tapped the first line of the letter. “‘ _We have taken that which you value most_ ’ refers to our families, of course. And like we said, ‘ _the coliseum where the bears roam free_ ’ has gotta be Michelle Land.”

“So we have to be there by noon,” Saaya said. “What do you think they mean when they say ‘ _come face us_ ,’ though? Some kind of contest?”

The group pondered that. “What if it’s a battle of the bands?” Kasumi suggested.

“E-eh? But I didn’t bring my bass…”

“It’s okay, Rimi. We can play air guitar.”

“A-air guitar, O-Tae- _chan_?”

“Oi.”

They all paused before cracking tiny smiles. The air lightened a little.

“Kasumi brings up a good point though.” Saaya began unwrapping the bakery bag. The heavy smell of chocolate and freshly baked bread filled the air, and Arisa suddenly noticed how hungry she was. Saaya glanced up at her, smiled more naturally this time, and handed her a chocolate cornet wrapped with a tissue sheet. “It’s possible that we’re up against _all_ of Hello, Happy World! and not just Kokoro.”

Rimi took a nervous bite of the chocolate cornet Saaya handed her. “Wh-what if it’s some kind of sports competition…?”

“Geh… Against Tsurumaki- _san_ and Kitazawa- _san_ …? That’s a tough one...”

“Ish shokay!” Kasumi swallowed, chocolate staining her lips. “O-Tae and I will handle it!”

“Mmhmm! Leave it to us.”

“Five-on-five might mean a team sport like basketball, though,” Saaya said. She laughed awkwardly. “I agree with Arisa--sports against HaroHapi might be a bit difficult.”

“Well, whatever it is, there’s no use worrying about it!” Kasumi clapped her hands together. “No matter what, we’ll just have to win. Right?”

She looked to her friends. They exchanged looks, a little hesitant, then nodded.

“You’re right, Kasumi- _chan_ …”

“Down with HaroHapi?”

“If it’s the five of us, I’m sure we’ll manage.”

“We’ll follow your lead, leader.”

“All right!” Kasumi scarfed down the rest of her chocolate cornet and downed her tea in one draft. She held her empty cup out to Arisa with a grin. “We can’t win if we’re hungry~ Seconds, Arisa!”

Arisa gave her an incredulous look, sighed, and then smiled despite herself. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll make some more tea, then.”

φ☆φ☆φ

Michelle Land was, for the most part, an ordinary (if large) amusement park. The sloped brick walls that surrounded its perimeter were well maintained, the iron gates at its entrance polished and like-new. One could see peeking through the gates and over the walls the looping tracks of rollercoasters, the brightly painted facade of attractions and the inner castle, the LED-lights-adorned Ferris wheel.

The only thing that struck Arisa as odd--and very odd indeed at that--was the near-obsessive degree to which Michelle decorated the park. From the giant Michelle statue in plain sight of the entrance to the Michelle-styled roller coaster cars to the _Michelle-shaped handles on the gates_ , it was at first endearing and then, upon reflection, a little unsettling.

The five girls walked up to the closed gates. They were fastened shut with a padlock (also Michelle-shaped) and chain, a framed sign dangling from it that read “CLOSED FOR RESERVATION.”

“Are we too early?” Saaya pulled back her sleeve and looked at her wristwatch. “It’s 11:44.”

They were early, but not extremely. There wasn’t a soul in sight; even the trees that lined the path to the entrance were devoid of life, with no so much as a bird in the sky.

“Did we get the wrong location…?” Rimi asked worriedly.

“There’s no way.” Arisa crossed her arms over her chest. “This is the place. There’s nowhere else that makes sense.”

“Y-you’re right…”

“Oi~! Kokoro-cha~n!” Kasumi called. Her voice echoed, carried through the empty park: _Kokoro-chan, -chan, -chan…_ “Hagu~? Where are you~?”

 _You...you...you…_ Kasumi lowered her hands, frowning. Suddenly, O-Tae shouted, startling everyone:

“Hamburg steak~!”

_Hamburg steak…burg steak...steak…_

“Oi, what’s the big idea!?”

“Ehe.” O-Tae looked proud of herself. “The park is hungry, too.”

Arisa’s jaw slackened, while Saaya laughed aloud. “O-O-Tae…ahaha…!”

They passed the next fifteen minutes in mildly tense, awkward waiting. Every minute or two, Rimi nervously checked her watch and murmured to herself “twelve more minutes...ten more minutes..” Kasumi and O-Tae wandered the perimeter, commenting on the attractions they could see on the inside. Meanwhile, Saaya and Arisa waited at the gate, the former humming to herself, the latter chewing her lip.

As soon as noon struck, Rimi looked up. “It’s noo-- _heeek_!”

Arisa suddenly felt a body next to her that had definitely not been there until now. She jumped away from the gates and was greeted by a woman in a black suit, whose eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. Somehow, she had appeared right next to them without them noticing. Arisa could feel her piercing gaze sweep over her and her friends.

Kasumi and O-Tae came running back at the sound of Rimi’s shriek.

“Rimirin, what’s wro--ah…!” Kasumi stepped to Rimi’s side and took one of her hands in her own. “One of Kokoro- _chan_ ’s black-suit friends…”

“Greeting, members of Poppin’Party.” She bowed a full ninety degrees, prompting everyone except O-Tae (who just tilted her head to the side) to awkwardly follow suit. She spoke in a complete monotone. “I have been tasked by Kokoro- _sama_ to escort you to the Michelle Dome.”

Arisa blinked. “D-dome? Was there always something like that…?”

“Negative. We built it for the purpose of today’s activities.”

Arisa paled at that. They built an _entire dome_ in the span of _one evening_ ? That seemed highly suspect…but this _was_ the Tsurumaki family they were talking about…

“If you will follow me.”

The woman procured a key from within her suit and unlocked the gates. She stepped aside to allow the five girls in, then refastened the chain and locked the gates behind them once more. Without waiting, she began walking ahead, leaving the girls to stumble behind her.

“Please wait a moment,” Saaya said. The black suit didn’t turn or in any way acknowledge Saaya. “Are you all the ones who took our families? Are Jun and Sana and...is everyone safe?”

“If you win today’s game, your families will be safely returned to you.”

“Then what happens if we _lose_?” Arisa demanded.

They passed through the deactivated ticket gates and towards the plaza. The brick beneath their feet made their footfalls heavy and loud.

“That is up to Kokoro- _sama_ to decide.”

“E-eh? Then if we lose...we might not get to see them again…?”

There was no answer; the black suit merely kept walking. Arisa looked back to Rimi, whose eyes had gone wide.

She saw Kasumi’s grip tighten around Rimi’s hand. Kasumi’s eyes hardened. “It’s okay, Rimirin. We’ll win.”

From the entrance gates, they veered to the west side, past the carousel and food stands (all of which were unmanned and barren) and towards what appeared to be a giant Michelle head sticking out from the ground. Upon closer inspection, the open mouth formed an entrance with descending stairs. It was marked with bold, curvy text that read “MONORAIL: Park Entrance.”

The black suit wordlessly descended the pink-painted steps, quickly disappearing into its depths. Arisa wasn’t necessarily fond of the idea of being vored by Michelle...but she wasn’t in a place to argue. She sighed and followed.

At the bottom of the steps, they entered into a pristine hallway decorated like a stereotypical nursery: wallpaper featuring cartoon trees and flowers, chocolates and lollipops, Michelle heads and blurbs of text that Arisa couldn’t quite read as they walked by--something about how Michelle loved sweets? More than once, Rimi and O-Tae paused to appreciate (or really, drool over) the scenery, only for Saaya and Arisa to drag them along.

Past the hallway, they entered onto a large subway platform whose edge was entirely blocked by a glass wall with, at the moment, open doors. The pink train (whose head car was also Michelle-shaped) sat waiting there, its lights blinking.

Upon entering the train, Arisa decided she was officially ready to go home: every seat in the train was also Michelle, complete with little ears for headrests. Beside her, Saaya gave an involuntary snort.

It was a short ride, as the train never stopped. Instead, it ran straight to the final stop: “Hello, Happy Castle!” The black suit, seated across from Poppin’Party, patiently waited for the train to come to a full stop before standing, leading the group back out.

When they once again popped out onto the surface, Arisa took a moment to take in just how massive the castle really was. Seeing it up close in person, it was a staggering sight, the spires reaching probably ten stories high and the length of it comparable to maybe Hanasakigawa Girls’ High in its entirety. She wondered what could possibly be inside that they made it so ineffably large.

The black suit led them inside. The interior was surprisingly tame, the stone walls lined with what Arisa had thought were real torches but were actually LED displays and paintings of what appeared to be the Tsurumaki family. The party took a second to appreciate a masterful portrait of a younger Tsurumaki- _san_ , hugging a small Michelle-like plushie to her chest and grinning at her audience.

Once again, they were led into a side entrance, past a door that clearly read “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY” and required the black suit to swipe a keycard for entry. This descending stairwell was far less decorated--completely devoid, even, of adornment.

At the bottom, they found themselves in front of a similarly undecorated tunnel lit only with portable halogen lamps, with signs strewn about detailing various cautions: “UNDER CONSTRUCTION,” “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY,” “PLEASE REMEMBER YOUR SAFETY EQUIPMENT.”

The black suit paused, turned back to the girls, and then stepped toward a box to the side. She unceremoniously dumped a construction helmet into each of their hands.

“Please fasten these helmets on tightly in case of debris,” she said. She put one on herself, fastened it in model fashion, and stood there waiting.

The party exchanged glances before wordlessly pulling the helmets on. Arisa hesitated, frowning down at the dingy thing, and sighed as she pulled it on. Once they had all fastened up, the black suit nodded and entered the tunnel, the girls following close behind.

The cold stone was neatly cut and dimly lit by strings of lights on either side. They wandered for a couple long minutes, each of their steps echoing sharply and chipping away at Arisa’s patience. She didn’t seem to be the only one either, as she could hear uneasy murmuring behind her.

When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, they unstrapped the helmets and replaced them into boxes by the tunnel. Before them was yet another staircase.

Arisa glared at the back of the black suit as they began climbing. “This better be the last one of these,” she muttered.

“We are nearly there,” came the deadpan response.

Beyond the door at the top (again locked behind a keycard swipe), they entered into a complete darkness. Without stopping, the black suit raised her hands and pushed forward, opening what appeared to be twin doors.

They stepped out of what Arisa realized was a giant closet into a large, lavish bedroom. The bed was larger than king-sized, with drawn curtains and engravings of ivy and flower in its frame; the furniture all around stood larger than life and smelled deeply of rich wood, all behind carefully placed stanchions.

The black suit moved the stanchion aside and continued to the bedroom door. Arisa nearly tripped stepping down out of the closet, only for O-Tae to catch her from behind.

“Ah...th-thanks, O-Tae…”

“Arisa sure is clumsy.” O-Tae patted her on the shoulder. “Should I carry you?”

“Haaah? I-I can walk on my own!”

“I can princess carry you, if that’s better.”

“Why would that be better!?”

They exited the bedroom into a similarly ornate hallway. It was an extremely open space, perhaps ten-paces-wide, and to the side they saw a railing that overlooked the lower floors. Parallel to them hung a dazzling glass-and-gold chandelier, currently unlit but reflecting the sunlight filtering in through the windows.

At the end of the hallway, the black suit stopped in front of a door with yet another “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” sign set up in front of it. She turned to the girls.

“Beyond this door is the Michelle Dome,” she said flatly. “Once you enter, you will follow the path, which will lead you to the main pavilion. There, the rules of the game will be explained to you.”

“You won’t be leading us there?” Saaya asked.

“Negative. Once you enter the Michelle Dome, the game has already begun. I am to remain here on standby.”

 _Already begun._ Arisa felt a flutter in her chest. All of a sudden, she remembered the situation: _“if we lose...we might not get to see them again…?_ ”

“Then we’re here.” Kasumi stepped past the group, placing a hand on the door handle. She grinned back at them. “Once we go through here, we can start our rescue mission!”

“R-rescue mission?” Rimi echoed.

“That’s right!” Kasumi held out her free hand, palm down. “It’s time for Poppin’Party to assemble! Our target is Kokoro- _chan_ and the rest of HaroHapi--we’re going to win this game and get back our families!”

O-Tae placed her hand on top of Kasumi’s. “Down with HaroHapi.”

Saaya’s brow was furrowed, but eventually she smiled. She, too, placed her hand atop the pile. “Let’s give it our all.”

Arisa hesitated. She looked to Rimi, who looked back to her and slowly raised her arm. Arisa felt a coolness against her fingers--the gentle touch of Rimi’s own.

“Arisa- _chan_ … Let’s do our best, okay?”

Their fingers wove together, and with Rimi steadying the tremble that had overtaken Arisa, they placed their hands atop the rest of Poppin’Party’s.

“All right, here we go! Popi--”

“PA!”

“Pipo--”

“PA!”

“Popipa pa pipo--”

“PA!”

Kasumi threw open the door and jumped through the entrance. Still grasping Rimi’s hand tightly in her own, Arisa rushed in alongside her bandmates. On that dark path they ran along, Arisa’s only guiding lights were the faintly glittering hairclips of their leader.


	3. Optimal Party Composition

Their only source of light in that hallway was the exit, a mere speck far in the distance. They were running at a downwards angle, which caused Arisa and Rimi to stumble many times, their clasped hands the only thing keeping them from crashing to the wooden flooring. Every time, Kasumi and Saaya would look back worriedly, but not one of them dared suggest they slow down.

Beyond the exit, Arisa could see something shimmering like a rainbow--or at least, she thought she did. Her vision was blurring with exhaustion; her lungs were on fire, her legs leaden.

Kasumi’s voice reached her from ahead: “We’re almost there...come on, everyone!”

They burst past the end of the hallway. The wooden flooring below turned suddenly to gravel, flower beds on either side and long stretches of foliage above and around them in an almost tunnel of plant life. Ahead, they could see the main pavilion the black suit had spoken of: a massive glasswork frame, iridescent in the glow of the sun and spilling over with clear sheets of water on every side.

Kasumi slowed her pace and soon came to a complete stop. O-Tae and Saaya paused as well, giving Arisa a much-needed chance to gasp for air. She and Rimi finally released hands; Arisa gripped her knees to stay standing, while Rimi clutched at her chest, trying her best to slow her breathing.

“Arisa. Rimirin.” From her backpack, Saaya procured a pink thermos, which she held out to them. She took a deep breath and said a little shakily, “Here. Try not to drink too quickly, okay?”

O-Tae didn’t seem so much as out of breath. She looked around and crouched by the edge of the trail, staring at one of the flowers. After a while, she raised her head and said, “These are fake.”

“Fake?” Kasumi knelt beside her and sniffed on all fours like a dog. She pulled back and frowned. “You’re right… They don’t have a smell.”

“The trees, too.” O-Tae reached up and grabbed at a leaf. Instead of tearing, the leaf dragged the entire branch down with it. She let go, and the branch sprung back, whipping up and down violently but not once losing a leaf. “They’re like decorations.”

Arisa, who had handed the thermos to Rimi first, gratefully took it back from her and took a small sip. It was chilled and tasted of lemon and hibiscus. She let it sit on her tongue for a second before swallowing, then took another couple tiny sips before handing the thermos back to Saaya, who also took a drink.

Once Kasumi and O-Tae had also drunk, they turned back towards the pavilion in the distance. Arisa nervously wiped the sweat of her hands on the edge of her skirt. She felt stuffy and much too warm, and she desperately wished she had worn something a little more sports-friendly with all this running and climbing they had done so far--but more than that, she felt incredibly unsettled, and not just because of the exercise. She hadn’t felt a nervousness like this outside of their performances.

The five girls stepped out of the plant tunnel. Whatever pit had been forming in Arisa’s stomach suddenly expanded into an entire valley as she looked around: the pavilion ahead was the only surface level to them, with a straight brick path leading to its watery walls. Everything beyond this thin path and the pavilion was, bafflingly, open sky. Below, above, ahead, to the side--as far as Arisa could see was merely the expanding blue and interspersed clouds.

She peered over the railings of the brick path and nearly fainted on the spot. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t a bottom to this thing--it looked like gravity had flipped them on their heads and that they’d fallen into the very skies. The pavilion, she now saw, was not in itself a building of any sort, but rather the top (the bottom?) of an inverted castle: beneath the pavilion, its spires reached towards the infinite expanse below, seemingly as big as the Hello, Happy Castle! itself.

Kasumi gripped the edge of the rails as well, her head literally spinning in little circles. “This...is making me...really... _really_ dizzy…”

Saaya was open-mouthed. “Oh my God…”

Rimi just squeaked, while O-Tae peered over the edge and tilted her head.

“A castle in the sky?”

Arisa smiled weakly. She recalled the black suit telling them this “Michelle Dome” had been built _for today_ . They had been given _one evening_.

This checked out, yup.

“K-Kasumi, you’re going to make yourself sick…” Saaya guided Kasumi away from the railing, though she herself looked rather pale. “Come on. Let’s...let’s focus on the game.”

“Y-yeah…”

Unsteadily, they headed to the glass pavilion. The pavilion’s water walls had a small, gate-like opening for them to enter through, only lightly spritzing them as they passed through. Underneath the iridescent glass cover now, everything was cast in a hazy rainbow glow. There was little there to greet them save a marble statue of a bear and a black suit standing in front of it, who bowed at their approach.

“Greetings, members of Poppin’Party,” she said. She was completely indistinguishable from the black suit from before. Up close, Arisa now saw that the black suit was standing in front of a stairwell leading downwards. “Kokoro- _sama_ has tasked me with explaining to you the rules of this game. If you will please follow me, I will explain as we walk.”

The group was still stunned silent and did so wordlessly. As they descended, Arisa looked to the statue of the oddly realistic bear, wondering what had happened to the cutesy Michelle designs.

“You have entered into what has been dubbed the ‘Michelle Dome.’” The stairwell was similar in design to the entrance of Hello, Happy Castle! With its fake torchlight and stone. “This entire space is, as Kokoro- _s_ _ama_ requested, the vacation home of Michelle and her family. While we have been unable to finish a castle upon the clouds just yet, we have designed this space for the time being.”

“...’Just yet,’ huh.” Having seen all this, Arisa was pretty sure that wasn’t a joke. “So you’re saying this _all_ is the dome? We’re...indoors?”

“Correct. The entire Michelle Dome is underground.”

“Why is the castle...flipped like this?”

“Kokoro- _s_ _ama_ believes that Michelle is unaffected by gravity and therefore capable of flight. The setting goes that, on a whim, Michelle and her family, who are also unaffected by gravity, built their vacation home upside-down.”

“...”

“Today’s game is a hero show. You all, as Poppin’Party, shall confront the evildoers of Hello, Happy World! and defeat them in combat. Only then will your families be returned to you.”

They reached the bottom of the winding staircase and arrived in front of large twin doors. The black suit pushed them open and led them inside.

They entered into what seemed a stereotypical base of operations, about the size of a classroom. The walls and ceiling, lit by grid-like light strips, were all of a blue metallic shade, lined with all manner of rusted valves, wall fans, and gauges reading unknown measurements. The far-most quarter or so of the room had a long curtain drawn across it.

Four long tables formed a rectangle in the middle of the room, spaced far enough to allow one to walk through them. Upon them were every type of weapon one could think of--even what appeared to be a magical girl’s wand. The black suit guided them past these tables to a clothing rack at their center.

Five outfits hung from it, reminiscent of the costumes they had worn for their second basement performance: a vest-like jacket over a long-sleeved, semi-transparent top. Each had an overly exaggerated belt emblazoned with a “P,” fastening a pair of leggings and a flaring, lace-trailed skirt to the jacket...or rather, a _skort_. The wrap skirt parted slightly as the black suit pulled one from the rack, revealing the shorts underneath.

“I hope that these costumes are to your liking. I ask that you change into these for the sake of the game.”

“S...so cute…” Rimi took the outfit handed to her, trailing the pink highlights across the black-and-white design. She looked up to the black suit. “Thank you very much...”

“We’re thankful, but...with how you say that, are these important to the game?” Saaya asked. She, too, is handed an outfit, this one with yellow highlights.

“That is correct. Each of these outfits is equipped with a large number of sensors.” The black suit distributed the rest of the outfits, then motioned to the curtains. “Once you have changed, I will demonstrate. You will find bins in which to place your current clothes and belongings.”

The girls glanced at each other. A little hesitantly, they complied--though with a bit of panic, Arisa realized that the curtains sectioned off a _single_ dressing room for all _five_ of them.

“Actually, I’ll wait until you all are done--”

O-Tae grabbed her shoulder the instant she turned around. Arisa made a sound somewhere between a shriek and a gasp.

“It’s okay, Arisa. I can help you change.”

“Please _God_ no!”

“Ehehe, come on, Arisa~ We’re all girls here…”

“No! No no _no no NO_ \-- _gyaaah_!”

Hell ensued. A couple minutes later, they reconvened at the four tables, Arisa’s cheeks still burning.

“I trust that the outfits are comfortable?” the black suit asked, completely unfazed.

All the girls nodded. It was a perfect fit, and the cloth felt high quality as well. It would be comfortable to move in.

“I will now proceed to demonstrate the purpose of these outfits and the combat rules of this game. If I may borrow your assistance, Toyama- _sama_.”

Kasumi pointed to herself, blinking. The black suit nodded, and she stepped forward.

The black suit picked up a sword from the table. It looked realistic enough, though the edge was notably dull.

“If you will excuse me.”

Very slowly, she raised the sword and brought it to Kasumi’s shoulder, tapping her with the flat of the blade. Upon contact, the shoulder of her vest and sleeve lit up yellow for a brief second, then faded back to nothing.

“These outfits are equipped with sensors that will light up if touched by any of our customized equipment. Because I merely brushed Toyama- _sama_ , the light faded immediately. However, if I were to do this--”

In one swift motion, she raised her arm and then smashed the sword down against Kasumi’s shoulder. The girl yelped, and all of Poppin’Party jumped. Kasumi’s shoulder glowed with an intense, deep red that, unlike before, did not fade away.

“--it remains lit up.”

Arisa took an angry step forward. “Oi,” she growled, “what do you think you’re--!?”

“I trust you are not injured, Toyama- _sama_?”

“Eh? Ah… You’re right.” Kasumi rolled her shoulder cautiously and giggled. “It didn’t hurt at all.”

The black suit placed the sword back on the table. “All equipment to be used in this game has been specially customized. Any high-impact weapons, such as this sword, have been fitted with many layers of a specially developed fiber, preserving their shape but reducing the force of impact. Put simply, being hit by any weapons here will be as painful as being hit by an inflatable balloon.

“A yellow light indicates contact but no damage. Orange indicates minor damage and will fade with time. Red indicates critical damage and will not fade. We ask that, in the spirit of the game, you refrain from using any body parts that have turned red.”

The black suit tapped Kasumi on the shoulder, and the red light faded away. Kasumi stepped back to her friends, winking at the still-bristling Arisa.

“If you are struck in a vital spot, critical damage will spread across your body, so please be cautious. Damage to the heart in particular, if forceful enough, is considered instant defeat. Once you are deemed unable to continue, the lights will turn blue in surrender. The head and neck do not count as valid targets, so please refrain from targeting those so as to prevent any real injuries.

“With that out of the way, we have taken the liberty of researching various types of heroes and their equipment and powers.” She motioned to the tables behind her. “All equipment here has been labeled with a number denoting its value. You may each choose equipment whose total value is equal to five.”

A points system… The sword the black suit had set back down rested on top of a sign labeled two. That meant somebody could go with, for instance, a two-swords style and still have a point leftover...though perhaps not any dignity.

But that raised a more important question. Arisa immediately looked back to the magical girl wand. She could just barely see the number: five. It was worth _all_ of her points.

...Were magical girls stronger than twin swordsmen?

“You have...twenty-two minutes to decide on your equipment. The doors there will then open, and your attack will begin. Your goal is to defeat all five members of Hello, Happy World!” The black suit paused. “So concludes the explanation of the rules. If there are no further questions, I shall leave you to your planning.”

The girls looked to one another. Kasumi smiled; Rimi nodded. O-Tae was looking to the tables, while Saaya seemed content.

Arisa crossed her arms. “So it’s basically a war game. In that case, it would make sense for us to go in with a balanced equipment set and proceed as a group. Judging by our numbers...it might make sense to have two tanks rather than one. With two frontline walls, we can have someone play DPS--I suppose in this case a heavy-hitter of any kind is fine, then maybe some form of ranged support. If it’s possible, I think we should also get a...w-what?”

Everyone was giving her incredulous looks, making her squirm. Kasumi gave a classic Kasu-smile. “You’re amazing, Arisa! You’re already thinking so far ahead.”

“H-haaah? This much is normal… It’s just basic party composition.”

“There are some things here I’m not really sure what are, though.” Saaya handed what appeared to be a book to Arisa. “This one’s worth five points, for instance.”

“Heeeh…”

Arisa flicked through it. The pages were detailed with looping text and inked images, like an old manuscript or religious tome. Every other page or so was a unique title, and Arisa quickly realized she was holding a compendium of spells.

“This...changes things…”

“Rimi, look.” O-Tae picked up something and held it up. Rimi gasped. “It’s a chocolate wand.”

It was indeed a chocolate wand. The handle, fashioned almost like a sword hilt, was shaped like a bar of chocolate, gentle lines marking a grid on its surface. The length of the wand itself was like a wafer roll, striped like with chocolate glaze.

Arisa looked back to the table: five points.

“Oooh!” Kasumi picked up a sheathed _uchigatana_ from the table--two points. “I’m sure Eve- _chan_ would love this. Look, Rimirin! I’m a _samurai!_ ”

Arisa studied the equipment on the tables. They had up to five points each. Weapons like swords and presumably most moderately sized impact weapons were around two points. Magic, however it worked, was five points. Logically…

Arisa picked up what appeared to be a crossbow from the table and confirmed her suspicions: four points. There were also other items available--pendants labeled “Amulet of Protection,” worth two points; a vial the size of an eye drops container labeled “Phoenix Tears,” worth one point; equipment like shields and greaves, ranging from one to two points.

Going a physical build gave one the option to pick up supplementary items, while magic and ranged was a full commitment... Arisa tapped her cheek in thought.

Saaya tapped her on the shoulder. “Arisa?”

“Mmm…?”

“I’m sure you’re thinking long and hard about the optimal party composition...but the rest of the girls have already decided what they want.”

“Hah!?”

Arisa whipped around. Rimi was clutching the little chocolate wand to her chest, Kasumi had already placed the _uchigatana_ in her belt and was fastening bracers to her forearms, and O-Tae was plucking at the string of a longbow, apparently amused that it let up green every time she did so.

Arisa groaned. “Oh, come on…”

“Well...I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.” Saaya scratched her cheek. “Maybe with the two of us, we can fill any blanks...?”

Arisa sighed, then took a deep breath. A mage, a frontline swordsman, and a ranged DPS. Two more party members. In that case…

“All right, Saaya, here’s what we’ll do.”


End file.
